USS Insurgence: Book 2 - Ashes to Ashes
by mandowriter
Summary: After narrowly escaping an encounter with the Cardassians and an unknown force, the crew of the USS Insurgence are left licking their wounds at StarBase 25. While the ship is being repaired and prepared for some unknown mission, hostile forces lurking in the shadows of the spacestation attack, and place the reeling crew once more in mortal danger.


**Part 1**

_Sector 042_

_Star Base Twenty Five_

_'Captain's log. Star date 46683.4_

_Two days ago, my crew and I managed to drag what was left of our ship back from the Neutral Zone to Star base twenty five, where at this very moment, it is being repaired after suffering some serious structural damage._

_I have just filed my report with Star Fleet command, and though we barely made it back in one piece, they have told me to prepare my crew for action at the slightest notice. The information we gathered using the probe seems to have piqued someone's interest high up in star fleet intelligence, and the recording of the attack shows that there were more than just Cardassians on the edge of the Neutral Zone. It is not conclusive evidence, but it is enough to worry Star Fleet, and myself._

_As for the 'Insurgence', she is a tough little ship, but even I am surprised that she was able to survive the vicious onslaught that we suffered. She took several direct hits to the starboard nacell and a dozen full contact phaser blasts to the upper hull. Several sections of the ship have been ripped open to space, and not all the crew made it back._

_The crew deserve more praise than I can give them, and I shall be noting their actions in their permanent records. But before that, I have an unpleasant, and regrettable duty to perform..._

* * *

><p>Commander Jean Akerman stood on the small podium looking down at the darkened, grey walled room, her dress uniform immaculate, not a single crease. Tens of people were gathered around the edges of the chamber, many dressed as she was. On the far side of the room were ten small openings, and leading to each was a powered rail with a loading trolley placed near the podium. To the left of the nearest rail was the rest of the bridge crew, standing as equally straight, their faces blank and expressionless, their gaze locked ahead of them. They looked as though they were just on parade, waiting for an inspection.<p>

But as she looked up at their eyes, she saw the fear, the anger, and the sadness that was threatening to fill them with tears. She did not deny them their pain, because she felt it as keenly as they did. Her eyes were ablaze with unshed tears, and her heart hammered in her chest painfully, each beat feeling like a star exploding.

Her hand clenched tightly by her side and she forced herself to look away from the crew and down at the scene in front of her. At her feet, hidden beneath ta Federation banner that was draped across it, was an unmarked casket, identical to the ten others that lined the room, each cradled in their own loading trolley.

It seemed so empty, so pointless a gesture. Each one was identical. Each was draped in the plain blue flag with the white emblem. But within each were the remains of the crew that had paid the ultimate price during their encounter with the Cardassians on the edge of the Neutral Zone two days before.

Most were faceless, crew members that she had never taken the time to get to know. Officers who had been at the mercy of fate.

But two of them she would never forget.

One was the operation officer. He had been a young ensign, fresh out of the Academy and on his first deep space posting after graduation. She had never really known him, never spoken to him off duty, but she would never forget his face. She had watched as the operations console on the bridge had exploded during the last few moments of the attack, sending shards of red hot metal soaring across the bridge, and ending his life too soon. His limp body had fallen to the floor, his yellow uniform stained with burn marks and blood. And his eyes had stared blankly back at her as she had picked herself up off the deck, the fear he had felt burnt forever into his eyes.

And the other was Arthur.

The name floated through her mind, a painful, sharp stabbing tearing at her heart. The pain spread through her body, like tendrils of darkness weaving itself through her every fibre. But her mind remained numb, still and silent, her face expressionless. Memories gathered, images of the past floating by, surrounding her, passing through her, simultaneously of her mind, and disconnected from it.

Words seeped from the silence that had surrounded her, and as she dragged herself back from the memories, she heard the captain's voice echoing across the cavernous room.

'...These officers performed above and beyond the call of duty, making the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the safety and survival of their friends and crewmates,' Rex said evenly, his voice cold and diplomatic.

The sound of his voice felt like ice running down her spine, and a ball of hatred began to form around her heart. She wanted to turn on him, to scream at him. He was the one giving the orders. He was the one who had forced them to their deaths. Their blood was forever on his hands.

But none of it showed.

'We would not be here today to commit their bodies to the stars had it not been for their bravery and their devotion. Star fleet has lost ten of its finest, and they shall forever be missed.'

A gentle sob shattered the silence, and as Akerman lifted her head towards the bridge crew that were stood alongside the caskets, she saw a wet, shimmering trail streak down the emerald cheek of the Orion female.

'May their souls boldly go where they will finally know peace.' Rex backed away from the podium, stepping to the side and stood to attention beside it, facing the row of caskets. Saluting crisply, a young officer in a yellow star fleet uniform stepped forwards and began to whistle the 'Bosun's call'. Twenty junior officers stepped forwards and began to fold the flags from each casket, holding them flat and presenting them to the families of the deceased.

A second whistle shattered the painful silence, and the caskets were loaded into the recessed holes in the far wall. As each closed, there was a loud hissing sound, and they were fired off into the distant depths of space.

'Honour guard, dismissed,' Rex said finally. As one, the bridge crew and the other star fleet officers turned to the left before dispersing through the crowd.

Akerman did not even stay to watch. Turning away from the captain, she marched out through the door, her hatred of him burning like the suns of the Delphic expanse. Her eyes stinging, and her heart shattering into a thousand shards, she stepped out into the corridor, and finally let the tears fall.

* * *

><p>Uelar Trexx tugged at the collar of his uniform as he stepped out onto the promenade of the space station. Being a Denobulan, the dress uniform irritated his neck more than it did most other humanoid species, and given the uncomfortable heat that had been present in the room, he was glad to be able to open the top button at last. He gave a sad smile to the families of the lost crew, something he had learnt to mimic in his many years service with Star Fleet.<p>

It was not that he did not miss the crew, indeed he had served with all of them and had many fond memories of them. He would miss them all greatly, but his culture had never been one for emotional, sentimental funerals. When a friend or relative died, they would rejoice and celebrate their life, not mourn their passing.

He stood to one side and allowed the rest of the gathered families and crew to exit the room, watching them all and wondering where they might be going next, how they might go on with their lives with such grief still carried in their heart. It seemed like such an odd way to remember someone, by holding on to the pain their passing caused.

Trexx was the chief medical officer on board the 'Insurgence', and he followed in a great line of his people to serve as medics on board star fleet vessels. His great great uncle had in fact served on board the very first human vessel to traverse the stars, the NX-01 'Enterprise', under the command of the great Captain Jonathan Archer. And as the medic, he was required to know a lot about biology, from Andorian all the way through to Xindi, but what really fascinated him was their psychology. The way each species worked out problems was so radically different from the other, and it always intrigued him how they could each evolve in such a variety of ways.

As the last of the families left the room, Trexx was about to turn and follow them, when a flash of green caught his eye. He stopped and edged his way back towards the door, gingerly looking around the edge of the door frame into the room. He stopped sharply as he heard the tell-tale sniffling of someone in distress. He was about to sneak away and leave them to it – he had never had a great bedside manner when it came to comforting people – but something made him lean around the corner.

Hidden behind a supporting girder, their shoulders shuddering with each heart-wrenching sob, Trexx saw a young female star fleet officer sitting down on the floor, their knees pulled up tight against their chest, their head buried in the crooks of their elbows as they folded their arms across their knees.

He prided himself in knowing all the crew, and his eidetic memory helped him to remember their names and a lot of their medical histories without having to need to consult their starfleet records. But he had to admit that he did not recognise this girl. Her face was hidden, but he could see the green tinted skin of her hands and her neck, and knew instantly that she was an Orion. His mind raced but he was still unable to place her with the crew.

'Are you okay?' he whispered gently. He had not meant to say anything, but the words just seemed to escape his lips.

The girl jumped, her head shooting up from her arms and her wide eyes staring back at him. He had startled her, and he instantly tried to make it right. He raised his arms in a gesture of surrender to let her see he meant no harm, and knelt down at her level to avoid looming over her.

'It's okay,' he said gently. 'I didn't mean to scare you.'

'How long have you been there?' she stammered, her sobs catching in her throat.

'Not long,' Trexx said with a reassuring smile. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she said defensively, wiping her sleeve across here eyes to try and wipe away the tears that still slung to her face. The dark, wet streaks still stained her flushed cheeks.

'What's your name? I've been trying to place you,' Traxx said honestly. 'I knew everyone on the ship, and yet I'm struggling to remember you.' She looked up at him, a little hurt.

'Natusa,' she whispered. 'I just transferred as helmsman just before we went on the mission to the Neutral zone.'

'First time out after the academy?' Trexx asked. She nodded.

'I barely got to know them, and now they are gone... I don't think I can do this anymore...'

He gave her a warm smile and stood up, extending his hand and offering it to her.

'How about we go to the nearest bar and I buy you a drink. We'll raise a glass to those brave souls who we just said goodbye to.' Looking puzzled, and after a moments hesitation, she took his hand and he helped her stand up. She brushed her uniform down, making sure she got rid of the creases that had formed in her jacket, and Trexx gently brushed a tear from her cheek.

'I joined up to see the galaxy. To explore, not to fight. I'm not sure I belong in starfleet,' she whispered as they walked towards the door.

'None of us want to fight,' Trexx replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 'Keep hold of that feeling. Because it is when we lose that need for peace that the war is lost.'

'You know a lot,' she said softly.

'You don't get three wives and ten children without learning a thing or two about philosophy,' Trexx smiled. 'Now let's go find somewhere quiet for a drink and a chat.'


End file.
